We are a Practical Party

We are a practical party – we believe in solving problems not arguing ideology.

Arguments don't change minds, reasoning does.

As we look through our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and various other social media accounts, we always see a large amount of scathing comments, hatred, and other negativity.

With the most recent election under our belts, the talk is about everyone living in their social media bubbles where we only see like-minded posts and things that are agreeable to us. People often do not experience the other side.

As Whigs, we pride ourselves on being in the middle. We are the mediator between sides. All sides have a share in the conversation. With that, we need to be able to parse through all the negativity and emotions that are stirred by these conversations, often arguments, and come up with a common sense answer to the question both sides are asking.

First we need to understand, what are the underlying principles that are driving either side to stand so firmly in their ideology, what's giving them their opinion, why are they choosing that stance?

By understanding these backgrounds, we can get a better picture of the person that is making these decisions. We must understand that no one is trying to make the country worse. Everyone wants to live in the best place, we're all in this together. Now how can we go about addressing one side's concerns while also being sensitive to the other side?

For an example, think about a relationship therapist/marriage counselor. Typically, both sides of the relationship are angry at the other for something that has gone unresolved or some lingering problems they're having. Now, the typical job of the therapist is to parse through both sides of the conversation and help them meet in the middle. They observe where each side is having struggles then they work to iron out their problems so they can move forward. Usually, the therapist teaches them how to talk through their problems and air their grievances before something gets out of control as it was previous to them deciding to meet the therapist.

The Whig party errs on the side of the therapist. We want to understand what America's problems are. We want to help everyone see the other side and work to create a solution that appeases everyone. We are the voice of the majority.

We understand that 100% people won't be happy 100% of the time, but we would like to help them understand why and see the benefits of the alternative and have them give their input into the final solution. Everyone should act together to make the best possible solution.

In doing this, we need to consider our own ideologies. Really, it comes down to challenging everything, even for ourselves.

Do you have a strong belief in something? Take a step back and think further about it. Why do you believe what you do? Who gave you this original idea? Is this something that's never been challenged for you?

Now you need to consider the challenge, be the devil's advocate with your ideas. What would the opposition look like? How would they argue against your idea? Is there someone you know that is against your idea? Have a chat with them. Get an in depth view of what the other side looks like, what's driving their philosophy or ideology. Be real about it. Don't label them as a bigot or misogynist for their beliefs, because that's not how they would label themselves. See the topic through their eyes, be empathetic.

We bridge the gap.

We want to unite as a nation. The only way we can do that effectively is by bridging the gap between the opposing sides.

When someone talks about their ideas, qualms, or feelings, we listen. Even if it's contrary to ours, it'll help strengthen our resolve or see things under a different light. It may challenge us, but we're up for the challenge. We are here for everyone, not just to appease 50% of the country.

We understand this as well. We won't be able to make everyone happy all the time with our views, but we want to incorporate everyone's ideas to build our solutions into something that everyone can agree on.

But first, we need to bridge the gap between opponents. The United States is not a right vs left country, it's a country that has been torn into opposing ideologies. If you're not this, you're that. People don't belong to buckets of culture, we all know that America is the mixing pot of the world's cultures and we need to accept the fact that no matter what, our ideologies will be opposed.

But our goal is to unite them, or do the best we can to do so.

America isn't an X vs Y country. We're all here, we're all together, and we want to make the best nation possible. We need to come to a consensus together, and as Whigs, it's our duty to achieve this together.

Zack Kelly is a writer for the Modern Whig Party, Co-Founder and Director of Management at Array Automation. He also runs a blog on Medium.